Winter's Rose
by Tangled4ever
Summary: What if Tink hadn't taken her broken wing so easily, and she and Peri hadn't healed it straight away? In the wake of her darkest hour, a certain sparrow-man takes her under his own broken wing; a decision that will change both their lives forever... Milarion pairing and family fluff. TRAILER NOW ON YOUTUBE
1. Prologue

**Hey guys. (: I hope you're well. Okay, for anyone who saw my old Tinkerbell trailer on YouTube, I was forced to scrap '**_**Daughters of the Star-Crossed**_**' after an iPad error deleted all my planning. I guess you could say this is somewhat of a replacement, only extremely different.**

**I WILL NOT be properly starting this until I get closer to finishing my others, but this is just so you can get a taste of what's to come… ;) I hope you enjoy it. I know some of you will... (*cough* JadeVictoriaDH *cough*) ;p**

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**Prologue**

Ice cold winds swept through the Winter Woods in their usually rhythmic patterns, while tiny snowflakes twirled on the shifting dance floor. However, only the night animals witnessed the elegant performance. Buried beneath their blankets, winter fairies of every talent slept in the comfort of their homes, storing their energy for the day ahead. Winter on the Mainland was creeping closer, and each day leading up to it was spent practising their skills under the watchful brown eyes of their beloved, newly-appointed lord of Winter.

But unbeknown to all, one sparrow-man didn't sleep that peaceful night. Hidden in the darkness of his room, Lord Milori sat alone on the solid ice floor, hugging his knees and leaning against the edge of his bed as violent sobs shook his very core.

Another cold breeze blew in through the open balcony doors, and he shivered under its icy grip - an action which if seen by anyone, they would've thought he was sick for sure. Once upon a time, the cold wouldn't have bothered him, but after several months of being madly in love with the new queen of Pixie Hollow, he'd grown used to the warm, cozy flames that danced within his heart.

Lifting his head slightly, Milori trembled as his gaze fell on the half-empty bottle of amber liquid beside him. His hand shaking, he poured some into a small glass, managing to spill it on the floor in the process. Throwing his head back, he downed another shot of whiskey. He knew full well that it was a foolish idea, and that he'd already had far too much, but in that moment he would have been willing to do anything to take away the excruciating pain throbbing in his broken heart. Even if that meant drowning it in the bitter taste of alcohol.

It was almost amazing how something so perfect could go so wrong so quickly. It all started the day before, exactly as it did every day; the moment the sun dipped below the horizon, he raced to the border as fast as his strong wings could carry him, before taking his treasured girlfriend into his arms for a long, slow kiss. Sitting down on the log bridge that joined their separate worlds, they lingered in each other's embrace, making up for the hours they'd spent apart. As they watched the river rushing by beneath their feet, he couldn't help but think about everything he wanted to share with her. It was then they had the idea to drench his wings in cold water, and they agreed to try it the next day.

Their plan almost worked. In fact, it _would_ have worked, but as they were walking through Springtime Valley, everything went terribly wrong. Out of nowhere, a spooked mouse came charging through the square, animals fairies hot on its shaking heels. In an attempt to protect her startled fairies, Clarion leapt in front of the creature, trying to calm it down. But in a moment of sheer terror, the animal tossed her aside, sending her straight into a nearby tree trunk. Fear consumed him when she screamed in pain, clutching her shoulder, and he was instantly by her side. The state of his wings long forgotten, he bundled her into his arms and dashed to the infirmary.

Upon arriving, a few healing talent fairies settled her into a room to be looked at, while another two attempted to take him back to the border. Despite their protests, he refused to leave his lover's side, staying with her until they'd fully bandaged what turned out to be a sprained shoulder. Only then, as the healing talents helped her up, did the heat finally take its toll. Exhaustion tightly grasping his body, he fell to his knees, finding his wings completely wilted. The next few minutes went by in a blur as three healing fairies carried him back to the border as quickly as they could, his dearest Ree right by his side. They almost made it, but no one missed the sickening 'crack' of his wing breaking just as they reached the border.

Somehow they'd managed to keep his accident quiet, but he was certain a small few were suspicious. Why else did he feel the occasional pair of sympathetic eyes burning into the back of his new cape after he announced the new border rule?

Since his wing had broken, and he'd been forced to say 'goodbye' to the only fairy he'd ever love, dozens of emotions had been racing through his veins; 'heartbreak, grief, and sorrow' to list a few. But above all - more than anything else - he was afraid.

It wasn't that he was afraid something would happen to him now he didn't have his wings to fall back on, or that his heart would literally stop in the absence of his love. No, what frightened him was how alone he was. He was the only fairy - not only in the Winter Woods - but in _all Pixie Hollow_ with a broken wing. He was the odd-one-out. He had no one...

Okay, maybe not '_no one_'... He had Dewey, his closest friend and advisor. He'd been trying to comfort him, but so far hadn't had much success.

"_Don't worry. It'll all work out in the end. You'll be okay; I promise.__"_

Each word was like a burning iron to his back, a bullet to his heart... What he didn't seem to realize was that he didn't want assurance for the future. All he wanted was comfort for the present.

He didn't blame Dewey; deep down in his heart he knew that every sharpened knife he threw at him was intended as a soft encouragement, something to help him carry on. But no matter how good his intentions were, even as the Keeper of All Fairy Knowledge, his small wings were still in perfect condition. So how in Neverland could he know what was to come?

Setting down the shot glass, Milori glanced at the small painting of his sweetheart resting on the nightstand. Despite all that had happened, she was still the love of his life and the girl of his dreams, and he knew without a single doubt that she always would be.

"Dewey's wrong..." Brushing away his tears to make room for the new ones, he looked out of the balcony's open doors at the clouded sky above, "Nothing good could come from this wretched wing..."

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**Wow. I never thought I'd **_**actually**_** write about him drinking himself senseless... Yes I know, he's the Lord of Winter, but I think this story needs this kind of starting point. I promise, this is the first and last time I'll have a scene like that.**

**Anyway, please review! :)**


	2. In the Wake of Darkness

**Hey guys! Wow; thanks for all the reviews, faves and follows! :D Here's another chapter…**

**There is ONE THING I need to make clear right now: I believe that Ree and Milori were greatly exaggerating how long ago he broke his wing, and hence their ages. In the third Tinkerbell movie, Tink mentions a "Queen Anne", which proves that Clarion wasn't always the queen.**

**Therefore, I'm going to say that they are still very young (since they don't really age, most Tinkerbell fans believe that fairies can live for thousands of years). For this story, I'm going to say Milarion met when she was 16 and he was 19, and were torn apart two years later.**

**Alesia: Thanks. :)  
****JadeVictoriaDH: *laughs* I knew you would. (:  
****Camomilla: Okey-dokey. ;)  
****milarionized: Thank you. (:  
****Nick: ;)  
****tabithaeconwood: Glad to hear so. (:  
****Trekrider: 'life experience'? I don't know about that… Thanks anyway. ;)  
****jinglyjess: Don't worry, the wait's over. ;)**

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**Chapter 1 ~ In the Wake of Darkness**

_100 Years Later_

Darkness hung in the air like a heavy cloth, cloaking the frozen landscape in shadows. At the centre of the death-like silence, the Pixie Dust Tree stood grand and tall, but encased in a thick sheet on flawless blue ice, creating a pocket of arctic air within its branches.

Huddled in the middle of the tree, the winter fairies sandwiched themselves together like a can of sardines, attempting to shelter each other from a chill too cold even for them. For the last hour, they'd each taken turns to stand on the outside, allowing the others the small amount of warmth they needed.

Standing at the edge of the group, like he had been since they first huddled together, Lord Milori stood with his back to the gripping claws of chill on the air. His arms were draped over Gliss and Peri's shoulders, but his mind was far away, lost in thoughts of his long-lost love. After all these years, his treasured Ree was still as beautiful as sun-kissed snowflakes falling from a sunset sky. He still found it hard to believe he'd survived a whole century without her; without the warm glow of her love.

"Lord Milori, look…"

Peri's voice broke his train of thought. Looking up, he and the other winter fairies watched soft sunlight filter in past the Pixie Dust Tree's iced leaves, the ice between the tree's frozen branches slipping away.

After breathing in the air for a moment, the lord of Winter decided it was safe, "Everyone, you can come out!"

Slowly, the warm fairies emerged in their blankets, joining them in the arrival area. Standing at the back of the group, Milori watched as Tinkerbell made her way towards her sister, as she and everyone else waited for the tree to give some sign that it had survived.

Someone landed beside him, and he instantly knew who it was. Turning, he was met with Clarion's worried gaze. They shared a glance, each offering the other their strength, before turning back to the tree. '_I don't think we made it…_'

But in that moment, just as everyone had all but given up, a glowing yellow light burst from the tree, and pixie dust cascaded from it in its regular flowing stream.

Cheers and laughter filled the air as the warm fairies abandoned their blankets, fairies and sparrow-men from both worlds twirling beside the waterfall of dust. Off to the side, Clarion and Milori smiled at each other, both enjoying the much-craved love in the other eyes.

Peri smiled, taking her sister's hand as she lifted off the ground, "Tink! Come on!"

Much to her surprise, the tinker didn't follow. Instead, she pulled her hand away, a look in her eyes that seemed to whisper, '_I can't_'.

Milori felt his gut clench when he noticed the look. '_No. Please, no…_'

"Tink?" Seeing the look on her sister's face, Peri fluttered back down to the centre of the arrival area. "What- what's wrong?"

Tinkerbell looked away, crossing her arms loosely over her chest.

"We had to save the tree," she muttered, nervously rubbing her biceps.

Everyone's eyes were on her, filled with confusion.

"I don't understand…"

The tinker looked straight into her sister's eyes as tears began to form in her own. Without another word, she turned away, slowly tugging off her coat. The confusion hanging in the air quickly changed to shocked horror, and it only made her feel worse.

Peri's hands flew to her mouth as realisation hit her, "When you flew to Winter... That's why you fell..."

There was a long pause, but no one noticed the devastation in the lord of Winter's eyes. This had been his worst fear for an entire century, and yet he'd failed to prevent it. Instead, he feared he'd _caused_ it…

"Tink… Why didn't you tell me?"

"What's the point?" she asked, her voice wavering as she turned back around to face her sister. "There's no cure for a broken wing."

"Hey, we'll figure something out..." Periwinkle whispered soothingly, reaching out a hand to touch her sister's shoulder. "It'll be okay-"

"_**Don't**_ say that, Peri!" Tinkerbell snapped in a tone so harsh, everyone present flinched. That is, everyone except _one_... Milori saw it coming; the moment that one little 'attempt at an encouragement' left the frost fairy's lips, he knew. He knew all too well just how badly those words could hurt.

Peri took a nervous step back, and guilt quickly appeared in the eyes of her sister, who turned away in shame, staring out at the still-frozen horizon.

Glancing to his right, Milori shared a glance with his long-lost beloved. Placing a supportive hand on her shoulder, he gave a look that meant '_I'll handle this_', before slowly approach the girl.

Feeling his hand on her shoulder, Tinkerbell turned around, watching as he knelt down on the ground in front of her, "Lord Milori?"

He watched her for a moment, before gently touching her cheek and whispering, "You're not alone."

Those three small words were the last straw. Her knees and ankles giving out from underneath her, the tinker collapsed into his arms, painful tears gushing from her eyes. Her trembling arms wrapped around his neck, holding on as if he was the only thing protecting her from falling off the edge of the world.

Leaning back to sit on his heels, the winter sparrow-man pulled the broken girl onto his lap, holding her tight against his chest as her sobs continued.

"I know. I know..." he whispered into her soft blonde hair, tears of his own forming in his eyes. "I'm here..."

They stayed there for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only about 5 or 6 minutes. Everyone watched them in perfect silence, waiting for someone to move, to say something. Only Queen Clarion and Periwinkle dared standing slightly closer to the pair, all their sympathy going out to their loved one, their treasured friend... Their perfect 'lost thing'...

Eventually the warm fairy sat up, looking at the lord of Winter with blood-shot eyes and tear-stained cheeks, "I feel so alone."

Milori watched her with the empathy he so desperately craved back then. That loneliness - that fear of being completely alone - was another feeling he knew all too well.

That's when it hit him; if she was feeling like he did that day, then there was only one way to break the bitter loneliness.

Gently lifting her off his lap and placing her beside him, he scooted back and turned his back to her. Almost instinctively, her hand reached out for his broken wing, but she quickly caught herself. Because of their sensitivity, touching a fairy's wing - broken or not - was seen as an extremely intimate gesture; to say it would be wrong for her to dare do it would be an understatement.

Even without turning around, Milori seemed to sense her unease, "It's okay."

"No, I shouldn't," she insisted, somewhat embarrassed. "I'm sure the last thing you want is _some __**fairy**_ touching your wings…"

"Tinkerbell, it's alright. I know what you're going through..."

Tinkerbell sighed, staring at her knees. Receiving no answer, Milori turned around, gently tilting her head up, "Don't get me wrong; I wouldn't wish this on anyone. But back, when _I_ broke _my_ wing, the one thing I wanted was to be able to reach out, touch another fairy's wing, and run my fingers along the break-line, just so I could know I wasn't alone..."

For a moment, all she did was search his deep brown eyes, looking for a trace of uncertainty. Finding none, she sighed again, "Okay."

Turning around once more, Milori waited. He never felt her hand on his wing, but he sensed her fear slowly ease as she ran an index finger along its jagged edge.

"How long?"

"100 years. The anniversary was last week."

Tinkerbell nodded slightly in recognition, despite knowing he wouldn't see. Lifting her hand to where his wings disappeared into the thin slits on the back of his shirt, she slowly ran her fingertips down the surface. Unlike normal fairy wings - which were always perfectly smooth - his were rough, almost grit-like, like precious gemstones fresh from the Fairy Mines. "Will mine go like this?"

"In time… It takes a few hours for them to get that semi-crystallised feel."

Silence hung in the air as she let herself familiarise the coarseness her own wings would soon possess. It just didn't make sense. If he was so concerned about protecting fairies from breaking their wings, and keeping them from crossing the border, why would he just do that? What could be so important that he'd risk losing such a precious gift?

"I don't understand... You're the lord of Winter; surely you of all people must've known the dangers."

The Winter lord shrugged, a small smile playing at his lips.

"True, but people always do crazy things-" he paused, glancing at his beloved queen, "-when they're in love…"

Tinkerbell's eyes widened as the words sank in, "You and Queen Clarion were in love?"

"Yes and no," Milori replied, tilting his head to the side. Receiving a confused look from the tinker, he chuckled and continued, "Yes, we were madly in love back then, and I don't know how she feels, but I love her more now than I ever did then."

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, as she glanced between the two. Both were watching the other with all the love in Neverland, while tears rolled down the queen's face, landing on where her hands were resting over her heart.

"Listen, Tinkerbell…" Milori sighed, looking back at her and gently taking her hands. "I know what you've been through, and I know exactly what you want and don't want to hear, so I won't promise you it's 'going to be okay'. But I _will_ promise you this: no matter what happens, I'll _always_ be here for you, whenever you need someone to talk to. If you need ever need a shoulder to cry on - any hour of any day - I'll be here. _Always_..."

Tinkerbell offered him a teary smile, wiping away the last stray water drops that rolled down her cheek. Like him, she wouldn't wish this pain on anyone, but she'd be forever grateful that there was someone out there who'd understand.

Feeling warm sunlight on their skin, they and every other fairy and sparrow-man there watched the icy landscape melt away, revealing a completely unharmed Pixie Hollow, all four seasons once again in perfect balance.

A sad sigh passed through her lips as she stood, picking her coat up off the ground, "You should go. The winter fairies won't last long out here."

Milori watched her for a moment, before gently taking her coat, "I agree, but I know from experience that being left alone isn't always a good idea. I want you to come back with me."

She didn't argue. She didn't even question him. She simply turned her back to him, allowing him to help her back into her coat. One by one, the other fairies departed; some back to their wintery homes to rest, the others to retrieve the animals and bugs still hidden away.

When only the two sisters and the royal lovers remained, the lord of Winter beckoned towards his owl, "You go get on Vitaly. I'll be right with you."

Tinkerbell did as she told, offering the owl a soft smile and a grateful nod as he lowered his body to help her climb on.

Feeling someone's presence beside him, Milori continued to watch the tinker as a soft, concerned voice spoke up, "Poor thing... What are we going to do?"

The lord of Winter turned, gazing into the sapphire blue eyes he still loved so dearly, "Meet me at the border at sunset. We'll talk then."

Clarion nodded, "Okay."

Gently taking her elegant hand in his, he bowed before the queen, placing a gentle kiss on the back of her hand, "My dear."

With that, the lord stood and began walking away. Clarion watched him intensely, breathless in a way she hadn't been for a whole century.

"Milori!" she called, a hint of plead and desperation in her voice. He turned, and she felt tears begin to form in her eyes again, "I still love you too."

A small smile tugging at his lips, Milori walked back to her. Gladly pulling her close to his chest, he placed a long, slow kiss on her lips, and they both felt the weight of their lost years apart being lifted from their shoulders.

Without another word, Clarion watched him walk back to his owl and climb on its back, saying something to the fairy behind him. A moment later, the young tinker's arms wrapped around his waist to keep her from falling, the majestic bird leapt into the warming air, heading back to his and his master's usual home with the one remaining frost fairy in tow. The road ahead was sure to be a long one, filled with trials, tribulations and heartache for the poor broken girl. She knew full well they'd never be able to heal her wing, but at least they could offer her their shoulders to cry on…

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**And so it begins… Guys, I'll try not to make this story too heartbreaking, but I promise you for all the pain they are yet to go through, there is just as much happiness. :)**

**Anyway, WE NOW HAVE A YOUTUBE TRAILER! I have to say, I'm very happy with it, and I hope you all will like it just as much… (:**


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